The lightbulbs I used on the outside are the Walmart #05942 12volt 50watt lightbulbs, which have bases that screw into a standard household sized socket, but run 12volts instead of 110.
So I was able to use standard household exterior light hardware, but wire it into the 12volt system.
The bulbs cost about $1.75 each at the local Walmart. At my local store, they have an aisle of mostly RV-related inventory, near the automotive section, and this is where they stock the bulbs. They are not in the household bulb section or the automotive bulb section, at my store.
They burn brighter than the automotive bulb, I think, but lose some of the light due to my outside light having a frosted glass cover. To me they seemed similar to perhaps a 60watt household bulb, as far as what they put out. I am not certain about battery drain, because I have only used them through the converter plugged into shore power.
Here is the link for the Walmart bulb:
http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=05942&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0
Eatatjoz used an automotive bulb in his outside lights, so I think it can be done either way. I went with the bulbs I used because I liked a particular household exterior light fixture I saw at Home Depot/Lowes, and the RV bulb made them easy to use.
Here is the link to the other thread:
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... ht=lantern
Hope this helps!
AL
